On September 11, 1936, the power plant at Hoover Dam began operations, supplying electricity to parts of Nevada, Arizona, and California. Built during the Great Depression, the dam was a major public works project that provided thousands of jobs. Its construction on the Colorado River created Lake Mead, one of the largest reservoirs in the United States. The power generated supported urban growth and industrial development in the American Southwest. Hoover Dam became a symbol of federal engineering capability and large-scale economic recovery efforts.
